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booking through thursday: best or favorite?

Are “best” and “favorite” the same thing? If someone asked you “What’s the best book you ever read?” would the answer be the same as for “What’s your favorite?”

I think that both concepts of “best” and “favorite” are so, so subjective. Okay, so let’s say a particular book is written well, character development, story arch, etc. … all signs of a greatness. But who can honestly say it’s the “best” one? Maybe the author is qualified and has the right to say “this is my best work.” But still—critics and readers may find it NOT to be the best. Or is the author just favoring this particular book, their latest? It’s such a fine line!

Whether it’s books, art, music, or anything else in the arts, quantifiers for “best” and “favorite” are all in the eye of the beholder, I think. Also, are we talking about BEST EVER?? Or just that individual author’s best work? Who really has the right and qualifications to declare something “the best” (without adding, “in my opinion”)? Do rave reviews count? Published critics? Community consensus? We all certainly have the right to have our own favorites, though. People will debate what’s “the best” for all of human history, but no one can take your favorite away from you.

As for the second part of this week’s question, I can’t say I have any ONE book that I consider “the best.” I like lots of different books for lots of different reasons, and my favorites are all very different. And of course, over time tastes and interests change, and something you may have loved in your 20s isn’t quite so appealing in your 30s (or whatever). So I’m usually pretty careful about what I declare as the best (in my opinion!) or a favorite (of mine!) because I’m pretty sure I’ll change my mind in a few years 🙂

Would you say there are differences between “best” and “favorite”? What do you think?

It’s true–favorites do change over time. And I agree that you can definitely have different “best” books in different categories or for different reasons. In the end, isn’t the most important thing that we’re enjoying what we read–rather than labeling what we read? 🙂

When someone asks me, “What is the best book you have ever read?” I’ll normally think of my favorite. Although there are books that are my favorites that may not be the “best” because of how they are written. Or vice versa. This is a toughie today!

Sorry for the late reply! Out of town, busy, yadda yadda. I admit my mind goes right where you said, too: favorite = best (to me). Easy to justify to myself, but for everyone else, their tastes might be way different! 🙂